Sing Me to Sleep
by BeautifulDoom
Summary: Handsome Jack is suffering from insomnia and desperate for some sleep. He knows the legends of sirens on Pandora. How their song could put anyone to sleep. Of course, convincing a siren to sing for him isn't as easy as he thought. Especially when he starts developing feelings towards one.
1. I'd Kill to Fall Asleep

All Handsome Jack wanted was some goddamn sleep.

Of course sleep was a luxury that all his billions of dollars couldn't seem to afford. Really it was no surprise. Jack was a busy man, an important man. The kind of man that everyone wanted to kill for some reason or other. Years of paranoia had trained him to sleep in a light sleep, able to wake up and defend himself if need be (he also slept with a few guns under his many pillows). That, combined with his hectic work schedule, often robbed him of something as simple as sleep.

Normally Jack took it in stride. Lots of coffee and sheer stubbornness often got him through his days. He'd work, collapse, wake up, work, repeat. Oftentimes 'collapse' was meant literally, leaving Jack on the floor of his office or penthouse. He took that in stride too, and no one had the courage to confront him about it.

But lately Jack's schedule seemed even worse that usual. All of his competitors suddenly decided to launch new guns and new upgrades all at once, leaving Hyperion to work overtime to outmatch them all. Jack practically lived on coffee and fumes as he went to meetings, reviewed reports, barked orders, and so much more. It had gotten so bad that Jack's productivity began to suffer, and that was the one thing Jack refused to take in stride. He was man enough to admit that he was not in a good state and needed help. More specifically, he needed sleep.

A quick trip to the doctor had sleep aids come up as the suggestion. Really, sleep aids? Pills that may grant Jack the sleep he needed, but also carried the risk of addiction. Jack liked having control, and addiction did not sit well with him. The doctor managed to escape Jack's wrath, despite not having anything else to offer. Jack wondered if it was because his lack of energy. After all, he was already conking out during meetings and not managing to look even slightly threatening or enraged with drooping eyes and such unsteady movements. There were whispers of his weakness all over Helios, and it just fueled his paranoia that someone was going to make an attempt on his life.

Which just led to even more sleepless nights.

Handsome Jack had grown desperate for the sweet bliss of slumber. It was to the point that he was entertaining any idea that would come to him. It was one night when he was curled up on his couch and lazily watching some slasher film that he remembered an old legend from Pandora: The Desert Sirens. These creatures were supposed to be beings of great beauty that had been blessed with magical voices. One song from a siren could ease anyone to sleep. Not just any sleep, but a sleep that could completely rejuvenate anyone, making then wake with boundless energy. That was just what Jack needed, and he was desperate enough to try it. He immediately booted up his laptop and began to look for any information about the sirens. In his sleep deprived mind, he really believed he could find one.

~O~

The Hyperion guard stared at the sight before him.

Handsome Jack was slowly swaying in place, head down and... snoring. He had fallen asleep while standing up somehow, much to the guard's surprise. They had touched down on Pandora and had been busy getting Jack's car ready for him. Plenty of people had offered to drive, but Jack had waved them all off in the negative. Something about scaring the siren off with their guns and amour, whatever that could mean.

Still, the guard needed to let Jack know that the car was ready to take him out to the desert. He briefly considered letting someone else do it, or not do it all, but it was his job. If Jack found out he hadn't done his job... he didn't want to think of what would happen.

"Sir?" He said. Jack didn't wake up.

"Sir?" The guard tried again, but louder. Jack snorted and mumbled, but still didn't look up. The guard sighed and moved closer, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Sir-" Jack was awake before he could say anything else. There was a bang, and the guard hit the ground. Jack looked around himself with wide eyes, trying to find the threat. He instead saw the dead guard on the ground and sighed.

"Is my fucking car ready?!" He barked, holstering his smoking gun. What a waste of a bullet. Stupid guard should've known better than to touch him...


	2. Voice of Honeydew

The thing about sleep deprivation is that it impairs your thought process.

It wasn't until hours later that Handsome Jack finally realized how bad of an idea this all was. He was driving a car in the endless Pandoran desert with only a few weapons and an echocomm to call for backup with. In short, he wasn't in the best state and his danger of dying was at an all time high. Not to mention he was looking for something with no idea where it could be, what it looked like, or even if it was real or not.

But he was Handsome Goddamn Jack.

He did this kind of stuff for a living. He went up against the odds no matter how stacked they were, he risked his health and the health of others for fun and profit, and he always came out on top in the end. A little trekking through a Pandoran Desert was nothing compared to the others things he'd done in life. The desert didn't look all that bad anyway. Sure he had come across packs of skags, swarms of raks, and even a few things that hadn't been discovered yet (he'd taken pictures and marked locations for the scientists back on Helios, and was already working on what to name the new creatures). He was fine, at least that's what he kept telling himself.

Jack finally stopped the car and stepped out for a breather. Pandora air wasn't the cleanest, but he needed something to clear the haze of exhaustion in his mind. The sun was bearing down on him with an intense heat that he felt through all the layers of clothing he was wearing. Fuck it, this was a nightmare, and from the ones he was usually plagued with. His grandma wasn't here with that damned ax in her hand, Dahl wasn't invading, he wasn't staring down his own mortality... ok, maybe he was.

"Oh, this was such a shit idea," he finally muttered. "Why did I even come out here? What was i thinking? This is something I expect one of those morons in accounting to come up with, not me!" He had no audience to agree or disagree, only his echocomm that was currently turned off. Jack banged his head against the top of the car in frustration. Seriously, what was he doing? He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, feeling another bout of weakness gripping his very muscles. "Fuck it!" He snapped. "Fuck this place, and fuck everything! I am NOT going to be killed by something stupid as not sleeping!" He got back in the car and peeled off, determined once again.

Even later, the determination had just about run out. The sun was setting, and Jack had no idea where he was going. Any map that he had brought was useless, and he was almost certain that he had just about driven a ring around the planet. He was sipping from the canteen he had brought and was debating on giving up. He couldn't very well show his face on Helios if he came back empty handed. His life was one thing, but his pride was another. Maybe he could murder the guards he had brought with him to keep it all a secret...

He had tilted his head back for another drink when he noticed a glint in the distance. Eyebrows furrowed, he squinted. What could be reflecting the sun so far out here? Whatever it was was over by a small rock formation that was otherwise alone in the hot dry sands. If it was valuable, then at least he could come back with something. Jack slowly drove out to the rocks, no longer trusting himself to handle high speeds. He'd stripped himself down to just his shirt, designer clothes that cost more than the latest Hyperion laptops sitting in the back in a pile. He briefly remembered some survival tip about pissing on them to block the sun, but he'd be damned if he was going to so much as spit on them. Blood he could handle, but he drew the line at piss.

The rocks seemed to mock him as he parked the car. Whatever was shining was gone and Jack banged his head on the steering wheel in fury. A mirage? A trick of the sun? Jack was running out of time, and now his one hope was gone. Maybe he'd just cut his losses and murder the crew when they got back. No one had to know he didn't find what he was looking for. He went to start the car again- What was that?! Something definitely had just moved on the rocks.

Jack hurriedly got out and rushed forward. Whatever it was was not getting away easily. He pulled out his favorite gun and ran between the boulders. "I saw you!" He crowed. "I saw you, cupcake! I know you're here! Come on out, I won't hurt you... too much! Just need a little song... Just a little one... Come on, dum dum, where are-" And then he saw it. Silhouetted against the setting sun and perched upon the nearest boulder. Beautiful luscious brown hair, captivating eyes of blue and brown, tall and pale (unnaturally pale for a desert dweller), and dressed in what had once been fancy clothes that were now torn and showed off more of that delectable skin.

Jack lowered his gun and just stared at this ethereal creature. Well, he was also staring at its arm. It was made of metal, and it was... a Hyperion model? Jack moved closer to look to be sure, but there was no doubting that it was Hyperion made. Upon closer examination, he also noticed the being's blue eye was an echoeye. How the hell did a siren get Hyperion tech? He'd say the thing wasn't a siren, but the glowing tattoos left little room for that. Whatever, he'd figure it out later after a good night's sleep. He cleared his throat and swept back his sweat soaked hair. "Hey cupcake, uh..." sleep deprivation was really messing with his verbal skills. "You wanna... come down? Have a chat? Sing a little song for me?"

The siren tilted his head, almost in confusion. Ah shit, could sirens even speak English? Jack almost broke down. Please god, have mercy on him. Let the siren understand him. He nearly cried when he siren jumped down next to him. He was a little shorter than Jack, but even more breathtaking up close. Those sharp eyes and soft lips. Jack was starting to wonder if it would be considered unnatural to have fantasies about this being. "Hey," He gave his trademark grin, the grin that signed a million deals and broke a million hearts. "Hey look, need a small fa...vor..." The siren was touching him. Normally Jack shot anyone who dared to just touch him, and he had to reign that instinct in. The siren didn't seem to notice as he played with Jack's hair, tugged at his shirt, poked the clasps of his mask. Jack had to quickly step back, this was getting too creepy. "Hey now, easy there," he said. "No one touches the goods without getting a bullet in their head. I mean I know I'm irresistible, but there are boundaries, ok? Now less touchy and more singy, ok? Chop chop."

But even as he spoke, the siren was distracted by the glowing shield he was still wearing. His fingers traced the metallic ornament that adorned his chest, and Jack could see the universal expression of desire in his eyes. So this siren wanted his shield? It was the most impressive shield Hyperion, or anyone, produced. One of a kind and owned only by him. He had spares, so he wasn't hurting for one. If this siren wanted a trinket as payment, then he would gladly give it over. At least the siren didn't want one of his guns.

"A deal?" Jack took the shield off and held it up. "You give me a song and I give you the shield. Sound good? Huh? Song for shield?" he made giving gestures and hummed a few notes. The siren's eyes lit up with understanding as it hummed back those same notes. Damn, even his humming was amazing. Jack helped secure the shield on the siren's cropped and torn shirt. "Ok, hang on. Lemme find a good position..." he chose a spot that would hide him in the rocks. Pandora was dangerous at night, after all. He sat down and made himself comfortable on the ground. His spot would also promise shade from the sun, so he wouldn't have to worry about frying alive.

Jack had just gotten comfortable when the siren began to sing. He sang in words that Jack didn't understand, but Jack didn't care as he was suddenly put under the siren's spell. Everything else seemed to fade away. Pandora, Helios, Hyperion, heck even Jack's job seemed to fade from his mind. Only this siren existed. Nothing else was important. The setting sun put a dark blur on everything as Jack watched the siren and listened to him sing. Already, he could feel himself calming down. Years of hard work and burdens from forever ago lifted from his shoulders like chains being unlocked. Shackles were removed, thoughts were stilled, his very name was stripped away. He...was no one. No one at all. This siren was his everything, and he wanted nothing more than to serve him. To love him. To worship him.

Jack didn't know how long the song went on for, but he was soon on his back and looking up at the night sky. The stars... they were beautiful. He'd steal one and give it to his new deity. He'd steal all the riches in the world for him. He'd give his own life should it be demanded of him. But first... First he needed sleep. All the world was still a blur when Jack slowly closed his eyes. He soon fell into the deepest sleep he'd ever had before. The deepest, most peaceful sleep he'd ever had before.


	3. Refreshed to the Nines

Handsome Jack was usually quick to wake up.

A good jolt upright, a quick smash to the alarm clock, and Jack was ready to go. What followed was a minimum of two cups of coffee (which had grown into nearly an entire pot since his sleep schedule all but faded from existence), a quick shower, and an even quicker bite to eat. Time was money, after all. But this particular morning Jack woke up slowly, calmly, and refreshingly. He slowly sat up, yawned, and brushed some sand from his hair. It was as he was scratching the back of his head that he realized that he was covered in sand. Nothing a quick shower couldn't fix... well this one might need to be a bit longer. He didn't smell as good as he would've liked.

Jack's mind was blissfully blank as he stretched, leaning against one of the boulders to stretch his back and legs. It was a beautiful day, wasn't it? Jack smiled and began to hum a song that had filled his happy dreams all through the night. A song. A song... A... song...?

It all came back to Jack in a sharp pain to the side of his head. He gripped his temple with a grimace, suddenly remembering everything. He'd come out here to find a siren to sing him a lullaby, and... it had worked! Jack took a quick assessment of himself, and he liked what he felt. He felt unstoppable! Powerful! Energized! He felt like he used to before all this insomnia shit happened. Jack whooped and let out a bout of laughter. It worked! Oh, he was going to tear the universe a new one, or at lease he felt like he could. Nothing was going to stop him! And he had his little siren friend to thank.

Jack looked around, hoping to spot him, but there was no sign of the siren anywhere. Where had he gone? Jack wanted to go find him, but his watch began to beep. He had to get back to Helios. He had a company to run, and now he had a newfound energy to run it with. He had so much to get done, things he hadn't been able to in his weakness, but now... But now... Now he was going to take care of business.

Jack quickly dug a tracer from his pocket and stuck it to one of the boulders. If he needed to come back at least he would be able to find his siren again. Yeah... HIS siren. He all but jumped into the car and cranked the stereo up as loud as it would go, and rolled all the windows down. If anyone was out that day, they would talk about hearing the heavy bass of some music and peals of ecstatic laughter.

It was after Jack left when the siren came back, dragging a dead skag behind it, and already munching on one of its dismembered legs. His new friend was sure to be hungry, and he owed him for the nice shiny new shield he had given him. He dropped the skag near his formation and carefully set down a Maliwan model gun. After being introduced to firearms, he couldn't be bothered to kill with just his teeth and claws anymore. Anyway, where was his new friend? His car was gone... and so was he. The siren whined when he saw that Jack was no longer there. He really wanted another trinket. Oh, Jack had left him one. The siren spotted the flashing tracer on the boulder and pinned it to his shirt right below his shield. He liked it a lot, but hopefully Jack would be back with other things. The siren carried some skag meat up to his perch on the rock, and sat down to eat. It was another beautiful day...


	4. I Met a Lady in the Meads

It was a day that would go down in Hyperion history.

Everyone who worked there would forever remember the day that Handsome Jack came in, eyes full of fire and practically crackling with a newfound strength and will. It was such a drastic change that many people suspected a doppelganger, though no one would say it out loud. This possibly fake Jack was quick to get to his business, and that involved taking out a lot of people he hadn't been able to before. People were shot, airlocked, shot out of the moon canon, and many other things. But Jack just did it all with his classic manic smile and a wild glint in his eye.

"Ok, so... one of you is supposed to get promoted and the other is supposed to die," Jack said. He was in his office with two people in front of him; Chubby and Skinny as he called them. "The problem is, I got the papers mixed up so I can't remember who was supposed to do what. So... how about you two just fight to the death and the winner gets the promotion?" Chubby and Skinny nervously looked at each other and then back at Jack as if asking if he were joking.

"I'm serious. Fight for it. You can use anything in the office as a weapon, but if you break something valuable it's coming out of your paycheck. Or funeral fund. Now let's go. Chop chop!" Jack clapped his hands and leaned back to watch the events unfold.

"S-sir, I couldn't possibly-" Was all Skinny managed to get out before Chubby tackled him to the floor.

"Yeah!" Jack whooped. "Get him! Kill him! Come on, you want that promotion, don't you?"

Skinny was soon fighting back, smashing a large paperweight into Chubby's face. He kicked himself free and looked around for something to fight with. He spotted a gun in Jack's curio cabinet and was quick to snatch it up. Jack chuckled and watched with excitement. Chubby let out a low growl and got back up, blood dripping from his face.

"S-stay back!" Skinny shouted. "I'm not dying today! This is bullshit!" To Chubby's surprise, Skinny turned the gun on Jack instead. "I'm done taking orders from a maniac! It ends today!"

Jack didn't look very scared for a guy that had a gun pointed at him. He nonchalantly ate some pretzels from a bag and waited to see what would happen. Chubby laughed and began to approach Skinny.

CLICK!

Skinny's face paled as he once again pulled the trigger with no result. That was all Chubby needed to once again launch himself at the other. A few wrestling moves and a massive neck breaker later, Skinny was no more.

Jack applauded Chubby as he chewed loudly on his pretzels.

"Congrats. The promotion's yours. Gotta say, though... you sure didn't seem to have a problem approaching that guy when he had a gun. You got a deathwish or something?" Jack took the bag with him as he approached the still bleeding worker.

"Nah," said Chubby. "I just knew it wasn't loaded."

"Oh?" Jack said with his mouthful. "And how did you know?"

"You're not stupid enough to have a loaded weapon outside your reach in your own office," said Chubby. "I know you're better than that."

Jack raised an eyebrow, nodding approvingly. "Changed my mind," he said. "Forget wherever you're going. Get your ass on my security team. I want you leading these dum dums."

Chubby happily accepted his new job and left Jack alone to call in a cleaning crew. "Another one down. Man, I am just blowing through this list of shit to do," he laughed and ate some more pretzels. "God these pretzels still suck..."

~O~

The carnage lasted for three days. Three days of total terror and a manic Jack. But even as Jack was happy that he was back in top shape, he noticed something aggravatingly familiar. He couldn't fall asleep. Like at all. Even when he tried to, he would still lie awake in his bed, burning with energy. While he thought about the problem it posed, he decided it wasn't all that important. He'd deal with it later. I mean, obviously he just needed to tire himself out a bit more, right?

Three days later and he still wasn't sleeping. That worried him enough to spark action. He went to the doctor, but the doctor found nothing wrong. Jack seemed to be in good health, his vitals were ok, nothing was wrong. Unfortunately this time the doctor didn't escape Jack's wrath, and he ended up another casualty of Jack's rampage. Jack stomped out of the medbay in frustration. What the hell was wrong? Was it because of the siren song? It made him sleep and then just kept him up forever? Or was he now unable to sleep on his own? Did he need the song again just to fall asleep? He remembered being put under the spell and shivered. It had felt way too good to be rendered powerless, and he didn't like that. Well, maybe he should stay away for a bit. After all, there didn't seem to be any bad side effects-

Jack suddenly bent double with a groan as a wave of dizziness washed over him. His strength quickly left his limbs and he fell to the ground. Tired. So tired. He suddenly felt so exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open. As his vision began to fade, and the nearby doctors saw him and began to swarm, Jack caught a glimpse of Pandora from the window. It almost seemed to laugh at him in the cruelest way. What was happening? Why was he back at square one? Jack lost consciousness as he was carried back to the medbay. No matter how he looked at it... he was not in control... and he was left with no other option than to go see his siren again.


	5. Forevermore I'll Be Your Slave

The sleep that Jack was forced into was not nearly as great as his last one had been.

He was once again plagued by nightmares of his grandmother and her ax. The pain he had felt so long ago echoed through his body as his grandmother 'disciplined' him. The dream shifted to other things like his daughter, his past, and of course the scar that covered his face. Nurses rushed to and fro as Jack thrashed in his forced slumber. Sedatives were pumped into his veins and he finally fell still. Everyone sighed a breath of relief as they drew straws to see who would take care of him. Dr. Norris was the unfortunate winner, but he set his affairs in order and took on his new patient.

Jack was unconscious for the entire night and most of the next day. He still felt groggy and weak as he woke up, hand running through greasy and unstyled hair. He felt incredible drained in every way possible and almost decided to go back to sleep and brave the nightmares. Almost. Instead, he sat up and looked around. Obviously he was in a private room in the medbay. Someone had put a vase of flowers on his bedside table, which he promptly tipped onto the floor with a satisfying crash. He'd been stripped down to his first layer of clothing, another annoyance, but at least they were smart enough to leave his mask alone.

The crash had summoned his doctor, whom he gave a good glare to. Dr. Norris cleared his throat and took a seat in a nearby chair.

"It's good to see you awake, sir. You gave us all quite the scare," he tried to smile, but it died on his lips as Jack's glare deepened.

"Yeah?" He all but snarled. "And what the fuck happened anyway?" He ripped the IV out of his arm and tossed it aside. Stupid fucking hospital...

"You collapsed," said the doctor. "Upon examination, you seem to be suffering from a severe case of exhaustion. I did see in your file that we spoke to you about this before, but you declined any sort of sleep aid. Sir, I really must insist that you let us prescribe you something. Your body is in terrible shape."

"Fuck you!" Jack snapped, standing up and taking a shaky step to the door. He leaned on a nearby chair as the room briefly spun. "I... I know... what I need..." He coughed and gagged slightly, nausea flaring up.

"You should stay for a bit-" Dr. Norris tried to reason with Jack, but the CEO was out the door as fast as his unsteady legs would take him. Stupid doctors... he didn't need medicine, he needed his siren to sing to him again. What had happened? These last few days he'd been on top of the world, but now he was feeling even worse than before. He had to find more information, and he had to find his siren again. Sure he was a bit quiet, but hopefully Jack could get an answer or two from him. He was in a bad spot, and he needed to fix it before it came back to bite him on the ass.

Jack stopped in someone's empty office and accessed their computer to do a little research. There wasn't much he could find on sirens, but he did manage to find a few useful things. The one thing he had skimmed over warned about negative side effects of siren songs. If you somehow managed to not get eaten by the siren, their song did horrible things to you in order to keep you under their control.

Ok, so maybe he should have read that first...

But there was that saying about desperate times and desperate measures. Besides, he was Handsome Jack. He could handle this. He just needed another song to put him back on track and then he'd be golden. He could figure this out no problem. Jack called up a ship to be prepared for a trip to Pandora, he set up a car to be included, he smashed the computer to erase any trace of what he'd been searching. If anyone found out... well, he just didn't want to deal with any headaches. Besides the one he was getting now as his body begged for rest. Hopefully the siren would still be there...

~O~

The siren... was busy. The needle was perched in his hand and black ink was held in a dip of his boulder. While he enjoyed his siren tattoos, he liked to add more from time to time. This time he was busy working on an elaborate tattoo that wound around his fleshy wrist, metal fingers skillfully drawing it out and bringing it to life. He looked up when he heard something approaching, a large black car that looked very familiar.

The siren excitedly jumped down to greet the newcomer, happy that he was going to get another present. He watched Jack stumble from the car and rushed out to meet him.

"Cupcake!" Jack wearily greeted the siren. "Hey! I came back. Look, I'll keep this short. I need you to sing for me again. Last time, I promise." The siren grabbed his hands and began to examine them, frowning when he saw no present. He huffed and walked back to his rock formation, much to Jack's chagrin.

"So this is how it's gonna be? You want nothing to do with me unless I have something for you? Ungrateful little... you little asshole." Pride told him to drive off, but he ignored it as he became dizzy once again. Fuck it, he'd suck it up. Jack dug around in the car and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a tin of candies. He liked these candies, but he could always get more.

"Hey wait!" He waved the tin as he stumbled after the siren. "Look! I got something for you! Candy! Very expensive candy! Come get some." This seemed to catch the siren's attention as he turned around and came back to Jack. He opened the tin and curiously sniffed at the candy. Satisfied, he nodded and cleared his throat. The song he sang was just as good as the last one and Jack nearly cried in relief as he once again succumbed to the siren's spell. He let himself fall backward onto the soft sand and closed his eyes. He wished he could stay this way forever. Forever serving his siren, forever making him happy. Able to live as no one and to have no other concern than himself and his beloved deity. The siren was everything he needed. Everything he desired. His top priority. Nothing else mattered in this world...

The siren continued to hum as Jack slept. He started to eat the candies from the tin and stroked Jack's hair. It was rare for a human to come back after the initial encounter. Especially one that seemed to want nothing more than a song. This human didn't want any of his treasure, he didn't seem to want to harm him, he was content to hear a song and then leave. Maybe he'd come back again. The siren sure hoped so. This human was giving him the best gifts ever.


	6. We No Speak Americano

When Jack awoke the next morning, the siren was there this time.

And if the smell of cooking Rak was anything to go by, he'd gone hunting and brought back food. Jack was so happy to see his siren, and his lazy smile made the siren beam. The CEO slowly made his way over, content to lay his head in the siren's lap and relax as the siren once again stroked his hair. The siren's touches were so soothing, and Jack was wanted nothing more than to stay forever. And why not? It's not like his life had any other purpose. He was here for the siren and nothing else. Nothing else was important. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else...

It was when the siren brushed against one of the clips for Jack's mask that Jack sat up with a yelp. Once again, the spell shattered and Jack was coherent again.

"Son of a taint, that feels so weird..." Jack groaned and shook the sand from his hair before brushing it off the rest of him.

"Taint?" The siren tilted his head in confusion. He pointed at Jack. "Taint?"

Wait, was the siren asking if his name was 'taint'? Hell no!

"What?" Jack nearly squawked. "No no no no no no no, cupcake. My name is Handsome Jack." He pointed to himself.

"Handsome Jack?" The siren said slowly. "Handsome Jack." He had a strange but adorable accent. "Rhys," he pointed to himself. "Rhys."

So he had a name? For some reason that sounded strange to Jack. A siren having a name. Still, it made sense. He was sentient, he would have a name.

"Rhys," Jack repeated. God, that was a horrible name. "Ok, so... I just have a quick quesh for you. So like, this whole song thing. Does it expire or something? Because if I weren't so awesome, I woulda been worried about dying yesterday. So does the song only last for so long and then I have to come back, or... is there like a way to make it permanent? Cuz I can't keep coming out here all the time."

The entire time he spoke, Rhys looked confused once again. He made a vague gesture of not being able to understand Jack, and then went back to cooking the food.

Jack nearly screamed in frustration. How the hell did he get unlucky enough to get this awesome battery charger and it doesn't speak his freaking language?

He ran a hand down his face, but moved it when he saw that Rhys was offering him food. The siren had used the empty candy tin as a pan and cooked the meat inside. Jack turned his nose up at the offering. That was Rak meat. Poor people food. Bandit food. Jack had better taste than that. And the meat wasn't even seasoned or sauced. None for him, thanks. Rhys looked disappointed, but then offered Jack some fresh fruit. Jack wasn't a big fan of Pandoran fruit, but he'd never seen this one before. Well, it couldn't be worse than those sucky Hyperion pretzels. He took a bite of the offered fruit and barely managed to swallow the extremely sour fruit.

"Holy fuck, that was..." he spat a few times. "That was worse than eating a whole lemon. How do you eat that?" He watched Rhys eat two pieces of it at once without so much as flinching.

Sirens were weird.

Jack's watch took that moment to beep, alerting him that he once again had shit to do. Rhys curiously looked at the watch, but Jack moved it away. No sense in letting Rhys ask for things Jack wasn't willing to part with...

"Ok, so... I gotta go now, but I'll be back before the song expires or whatever. And hopefully I can find some kind of translator... and figure out what language you speak. Anyway! Have fun with your poor people food. Maybe I'll bring back some real food next time." He did a double finger gun at Rhys, and the siren surprisingly repeated the gesture with a smile. Had he seen that before? Jack didn't have time to think about it as he ran back to his car and peeled off into the desert.


End file.
